"When the researchers ran the study again with one key modification, they were able to come up with an intriguing answer to this question. This time around, roughly half of the test subjects were required to remember a bit of gibberish-"7T4$RF%"-and type it in after every five faces that they saw. Obviously, this exercise is highly distracting-and that's precisely the point. It took up thinking bandwidth-and when thus distracted, liberals behaved just as the conservatives had in the first study. Now, they too relied on gender stereotypes to decide whether individuals were gay or straight.

In other words, it appears that liberals and conservatives alike snap to initial, stereotypical judgments about a person's sexual persuasion based on facial features. But liberals then engage in a more elaborate thinking process and often adjust their views away from the stereotype-at least when they're not distracted."

the_dude_abides:so again I ask: do you think that's solid proof of your argument that republicans are stupider than democrats? are they reaching beyond their grasp to spin some kind of political point? did you even read them?

Oh, and as for this, I think they're evidence of what I'd already begun to suspect. That conservatives in this country increasingly lack reasoning and critical thinking skills and rely heavily on fear-based, reactionary decision making while attempting to avoid difficult, in-depth thought about complex topics. You, in fact, have so far only further confirmed my beliefs on that matter.

1: I don't know what to tell you, they're journals. That's how journals work. If you really care that much, you're free to access them for a fee if you don't have access through an institution. But they're all available.

2. Who commissioned the study is irrelevant. Unless you're suggesting you have some reason to believe Mr. Firth influenced it unduly in some way.

3. I never said all conservatives are stupid. In fact, I never said anybody was stupid. I said the evidence suggests conservatives have a lower IQ, are more fearful, and seek easy answers that don't require complex thinking.

You're still not responding with any refutation. You just continue to whine about the sites they're posted on. If these are so self-evidently wrong why can't you present a review of any of them saying as much? If they're so obviously discreditable it should be fairly easy to find someone who discredited them. Scientists love to tear other scientists a new one for sloppy work, after all.

the_dude_abides:uhh, none of those studies you posted were peer reviewed. hell, only the first url links to the study (and only the abstract, the full text is not available), the other two link to op-ed pieces on political sites. hell, even the guys who conducted the study say the results were inconclusive and should not be taken literally. and yet here you are, spinning it for political purposes. that is exactly what I mean by pseudo-science, dirty little hacks like you making inferences that aren't there. sorry, nice try. seriously, did you even read the text of the links you posted??? lol

Instead of even attempting to refute anything presented to you, you've gone off on a hysterical tangent attacking the studies because of the sites that were reporting on them, claiming they're psuedo-science (even though you claim at the same time that you can't even read them) and that people citing them are "dirty little hacks" involved in some left-wing conspiracy to discredit conservatives using methodology akin to phrenology and eugenics.

Way to disprove the idea that conservatism is based on lazy, irrational, reactionary thinking...

the_dude_abides:namatad: this adjusting of views is exactly what we liberals claim is the difference between us and the gops. this adjusting views, or critical thinking is also why we turn away from religion and conservatism. we want re-evaluate the world and make changes and improvements. they dont want to think.

so you're saying that liberals are better critical thinkers than conservatives because you don't stereotype. and then you proceed to stereotype conservatives. brilliant.

Conservatives don't think the same way as liberals do though. They just don't. They have larger amygdalas and are more fear based in their judgments of the world, (more an observation of my own family than any real science there) which lends towards the general thing that was said. Conservatives don't think, they react. The stress of constantly living in fear like they do must be nearly disabling. I pity them, at least a little bit. Their reaction based system may hinder them from properly analyzing a situation because their brains are busy translating things into fear and disgust. This thinking somewhat goes to explain at least to me why conservatives don't seem to like "outsiders."

Conservatives react to perceived threats, liberals seem more inclined towards trying to understand the motivations of an action that's been taken. Liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortex which is responsible for emotional responses and processing cognitively demanding information. Liberals may well become emotional when reacting to something, but they're not as scared.

the_dude_abides:namatad: this adjusting of views is exactly what we liberals claim is the difference between us and the gops. this adjusting views, or critical thinking is also why we turn away from religion and conservatism. we want re-evaluate the world and make changes and improvements. they dont want to think.

so you're saying that liberals are better critical thinkers than conservatives because you don't stereotype. and then you proceed to stereotype conservatives. brilliant.

No, the study basically found that if you cause liberals to do additional mental tasks above what a republican has to then they think at about the same level. So in other words: Republicans are as dumb normally as a liberally that is already thinking about something + what the Republican is thinking about.

Funny how a test about Gaydar proves previous assertions that Republicans on average are dumber than liberals.

the_dude_abides:FirstNationalBastard: edmo: Rav Tokomi: So basically when liberals stop thinking they become conservative?

Exhibit A: those wild college friends who marry and have kids and now tolerate nothing in the way of sex, drugs, alcohol, or rap videos.

Parenthood makes people stupid. It's true.

really? that's your take? that when they were in college and drinking and having sex and doing drugs they were smart? and now that they're trying to act responsibly because they have a family, they're stupid?

No, because they've turned 180 degrees and decided that everything they were doing and had no problems with before spitting out a dependent or two should now be banned for the safety of their crotch droppings... that doesn't make them responsible, it makes them shiatty parents who don't want to parent, and stupid.

/and what's so dumb about drinking, sex, and recreational drugs, especially in college?

make me some tea:"When the researchers ran the study again with one key modification, they were able to come up with an intriguing answer to this question. This time around, roughly half of the test subjects were required to remember a bit of gibberish-"7T4$RF%"-and type it in after every five faces that they saw. Obviously, this exercise is highly distracting-and that's precisely the point. It took up thinking bandwidth-and when thus distracted, liberals behaved just as the conservatives had in the first study. Now, they too relied on gender stereotypes to decide whether individuals were gay or straight.

In other words, it appears that liberals and conservatives alike snap to initial, stereotypical judgments about a person's sexual persuasion based on facial features. But liberals then engage in a more elaborate thinking process and often adjust their views away from the stereotype-at least when they're not distracted."

Now THAT is interesting.

okcan I get a simul-post for posting exactly the same thing-same time on FB?

but seriouslythis adjusting of views is exactly what we liberals claim is the difference between us and the gops. this adjusting views, or critical thinking is also why we turn away from religion and conservatism. we want re-evaluate the world and make changes and improvements. they dont want to think.

would be interesting to rerun the test, and ask the respondents to go back and think again about their choices, trying not to stereotype this time.